Improvement in car-couplings



`NITED STATES PATENT OEEtcE HENRY A. SKlNNER, OF 'WORCESTEB, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN cAR-couPLlNes.

Specification formingpart of Letters Patent No. 149,687, dated April 14, 1874; application filed January 28, 1874.

To all whom it may concern.'

Beit known that I, HENRY A. SKINNER, of the city and county of Worcester, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Gar-Couplin gs; a-nd declare the following to be a speciiication thereof.

lIn the accompanying drawings like letters indicate like parts.

Figure l is a side view of my invention. Fig.

2 is a top view of the same before. coupling. Fig. 3 is a top view of the same after coupling. Fig. 4 is an end view ot my invention.

My invention relates to that class of carcouplers which act automatically, in this case having a rotaryV motion, whereby the catches,

swinging outwardly7 glide past each other into l place, and are locked together by the falling weight of the couplings themselves as they resume their former position. My improved coupler consists of a mass of metal cast in the peculiar shape shown in the drawings, and having a rotary motion imparted by its weight as it falls into a vertical position.

The rod A, having a limited revolution within its bearings B B, is placed above the center of gravity of this mass of metal, so that the ball or weight C naturally occupies the lowest place. Projecting therefrom, and also below the line of the axis of revolution, is a catch, D, with a beveled face upon its inner edge, as shown in Fig. 2. Above this is the buier E, receiving the shock along the line of the rod A, which shock is resisted in the usual inanner by the rubber or other springs F F F. As

the catches D D of two couplers come in cona screw, a, and operating, with its shorter arm, a chain, b, by' which the coupling is rotated outwardly and disengaged. In tlat cars the lever may better occupy a horizontal position, being operated from the side of the car by depressing it. c, so that it' the adjoining car has the common coupling arrangement, the coupling would be accomplished by a link and bolt-pin, as usual. But when the train is made up entirely of cars provided with my improved couplings no links or bolts are required. The catches lock the cars sufficiently, while the weight of the balls C C prevent separation.

An advantage resulting from such a connectionl of the cars, and one of'very great importance, is that in case a car is thrown from the track, my couplers disengage automatically, and the wreck ot' an entire train is prevented, as the car so overturned or thrown becomes thereby disconnected, and does not drag the others from the track.

So long as the cars keep the track the couplers cannot be separated except by operating the lever Gr, but as soon as a car leaves the line of the track the couplers separate on one end of the car and override each other on the opposite end. By reason of the resistance and yielding `power ot' the springs F F F my couplers are as well adapted to heavy freight-trains as the common link-coupling hitherto used.

I claim as a novel and useful invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent The rotatingcar-coupling consisting of the rod A, with its bearings B B, the ball C, the beveled catch D, the buii'er E, the springs F F F, the lever Gr, with its connecting-chain, all combined substantially in the manner speciiied.

HENRY A. SKINNER.

AWitnesses JAMEs A. SMITH, J. W. CLARK.

Within the catch D I make a slot, Y 

